Our eldest son is graduating from Berklee College of Music today! Watch the video!

Here’s the video and links for the “virtual” graduation:

Here’s the link to details about Berklee’s graduation commencement concert and ceremony. The pre-recorded commencement video (first video below) will be aired on May 8, 2020 on YouTube at 7:30 p.m. (East Coast Time). There are online events both Friday and Saturday. The virtual ceremony (when students will receive their degrees online) will take place on Saturday, May 9th at 10:00 a.m. (East Coast Time). Here’s the link to the live stream of the ceremony.

Please continue reading below the video! 

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In the meantime… (& on a personal note!)…

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The Rubin Brothers are a tightly-knit team — and have been since A.J. was born (when Colescott first became a brother!) It’s been at least 5 years since they pledged a commitment to each other to “…perform together eventually professionally (as The Rubin Brothers!”), and it’s been almost 4 years (June of 2016) since they swore a solemn oath to each other “to always be there for each other — no matter what — and to always be friends)!” I am so proud of all four of our sons! They are each so passionate, talented, positive, and resourceful — in spite of all of the extraordinary challenges our family has faced over the years!

A great example of their tenacity and desire to help each other succeed no matter what:

Using a 10-year-old computer that was donated to us by a friend (thanks Barbara!), my two middle boys (A.J and Avi) assembled and edited the video (below) to help big brother Colescott with a final project for one of his classes at Berklee.

Continue reading below the video!

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• Avi (age 15) designed, drew, rendered, and animated the virtual neon sign at the front of the video. [He taught himself to use the open-source graphics program Blender over the past couple of months to make this possible!]
• Colescott made sure to include artwork made by Charlie (our youngest son, age 11) in the background of the video.
• Colescott also wore a modular metal-and-hardwood bow tie imagined, designed, and fabricated by our 17-year-old, A.J. in the video – as a tribute to his brother, to include him in some little way — since A.J. could not be there in person to perform at his side [on trumpet] for his senior recital, as originally planned. [We were all so very sad when it eventually became obvious that that would just not be possible — that ,in fact, NO ONE would be there together on stage at all for Berklee’s extravaganza star-studded commencement concert!
• Once the video footage and audio track was downloaded and intro artwork was completed, the boys synced and edited several tracks of audio and video [recorded on multiple different devices — by the brothers sheltering in place on the opposite Coasts of this continent] to make the video.

I hope you enjoy watching it!

This video is of just one of the songs Colescott recorded for his “Zoom Senior Recital” last week. Tomorrow (well, today already! – Friday, May 8th) Colescott graduates from Berklee College of Music — with a double major and a double minor after 5 years there as a Presidential Scholar [and, according to his teachers and peers, a popular, beloved, and widely-respected “inspiring role model”. Wow!]

He had a full six months of scheduled tours, gigs, and events planned (starting last month, actually) that have all been cancelled as a result of #CoViD19. These were gigs and events that would have done so much to launch his post-college career as a professional musician and entertainer.

Now, after graduation tomorrow, as with all of Berklee’s graduates this year, he will have to push the bounds of creativity and re-imagine his career as a performer [and he’s already working on it…Colescott is planning on continuing to collaborate with his little brothers to create online content (pre-recorded and live) for adults and kids to enjoy!].

Do you want to support a young artist during a complicated time?

If you know my son (or even if you have never met him, but appreciate the videos and his story) and would like to give him a little graduation gift so he can start his career out on the right foot (in spite of the “Zombie Apocalypse”) that would be amazing. I cannot imagine being one of these kids, kids graduating high school or college during this time. The challenges are great of course, but luckily (thanks to the Internet and modern technology) the options for the paths forward are equally great (equally exciting – and in this new paradigm, barely explored and nearly limitless!)

Colescott’s goal is to use any $ gifted for his graduation towards (new, up-to-date) professional recording equipment (hardware and software) to support his work recording videos to publish on YouTube and Facebook (with his brothers and on his own of course, but they make a great team!)

* * * To send him a graduation gift his Venmo is @Colescott-Rubin. Thank you! * * *

…and oh, yeah — Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours. I personally couldn’t wish for a better Mother’s Day gift — or wedding anniversary gift (our 19-year anniversary is Saturday!!) than to have my firstborn son graduating from college and officially beginning a career doing something he loves and enjoys so profoundly – performing music and bringing joy to people through all types of entertainment!

While, on one level, it is heartbreaking for a mama to miss attending (in person!) the first ever college graduation for one of her children, as parents we are confident that if anyone can make the most of this situation and the new frontier that has been presented to today’s graduating class, Colescott can (and we are certain he will bring many of his musical friends along with him on that journey)!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

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